Saturday, May 10, 2008

Final 8 set for Cactus Classic

The Final 8 teams are set for tomorrow's conclusion of the Arizona Cactus Classic. It was a very tough Round of 16 for GU recruits, as many of the main targets had their tournament run ended.

In one of the best matchups of the night, Tyler Honneycutt and the Pump N Run Elite went up against the Northwest Panthers. The Panthers feature two of the best players in the state of Washington, with Arizona commit Abdul Gaddy, and his teammate Avery Bradley. In a closely fought game, Pump N Run had no answer for Bradley, who scored 31 points in a 72-71 victory for the Panthers. In the loss, Honeycutt continued his steady all around play, contributing 15 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. This tournament should clearly establish Honeycutt on the national recruiting radar.Anthony Marshall and the Las Vegas Prospects had no better luck, as they fell 65-61 to California Supreme. Marshall continued to do a little bit of everything on the court, as he had 16 points to go along with a team high 9 rebounds. He shot 50% from the field, and it is becoming clear that Marshall can do a little bit of everything on the court. His versatility is what has made Marshall such a high priority recruit in the eyes of Gonzaga.

The last game of the night featured two big bodies that have caught the eye of the staff. Ricardo Ratliffe and his Boo Williams team edged out Josh Smith and the Seattle Rotary Select 69-66. Ratliffe continued his very steady play by scoring 13 points to go along with 1 rebound. Josh Smith was not very effective as he managed only 9 points and 4 rebounds, and was burdened with foul trouble throughout the game.

Check back tomorrow as this exciting tournament wraps up another great year.